Gabby Thomas reveals when she plans to hang up her spikes & what she will do after retirement
American sprint queen Gabby Thomas is already looking at life beyond the track and has weighed in on when she will likely retire as well as what she plans to do after.
Multiple Olympics champion Gabby Thomas feels the 2028 Olympics in Los Angles might be her last major competition before she hangs up her spikes.
Thomas was one of the most outstanding runners at the 2024 Paris Olympics when she won three gold medals, having claimed top honours in 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relays, to become the first American woman to achieve the feat since Allyson Felix in 2012.
The 27-year-old, however, knows athletics is not a long career and is projecting that she might be done by the time she is 31 which will be after the next Olympics, set to be held in her country in Los Angeles.
‘I will have an identity crisis’ – Gabby Thomas reveals her greatest fear as she bids for more success
“I think I’ll be competing through the LA 2028 Olympics at least, at least one more Olympics cycle and then we will see from there,” Thomas said during a recent interview.
That also means Thomas has two more World Championships to feature in, starting with the 2025 edition in Tokyo, Japan followed by the 2027 in Beijing, China.
Thomas will therefore need to ensure she wins an individual gold medal at either event as she could only manage silver in 200m at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary with her first gold coming in the 4x100m relay with Team USA.
The LA 2028 Olympics will also give her an opportunity to defend her titles but she will certainly face stiff competition from much younger runners at the time.
One thing that will perhaps not worry Thomas is what she will do after retirement even though she recently explained how she fears what life would be like after athletics.
“I know I feel like I have so many options right now. I would love to do healthcare, that’s kind off my original passion,” she explained further regarding what she plans to do after hanging up her spikes.
Gabby Thomas on why it’s important to advocate for more equal treatment of women in sports
That will be a seamless transition given she already works as a volunteer at a clinic in Austin, Texas, having graduated from the Harvard University with a Bachelor’s Degree in neurobiology and global health while she has a Masters in public health, majoring in epidemiology.
